What is Framing device?
Ko te taputapu whakairo kōrero he hanganga kōrero e karapotopoto ana i tētahi pūrākau — he “pūrākau i roto i tētahi pūrākau” rānei, ā, he mōwhiri āhua (letters, diary, interview, etc.) ka whakarite i te reo, te tirohanga, me te horopaki. Ka hangaia tēnei hanganga i te wheako o ngā kaipānui ki te whakamārama i ngā tāekeke.
Ko te hanganga whakairo te whakarārangi hanganga e whakaatu ana i te pūrākau matua ki te kaipānui. Kāore tēnei i te mea he kōrero tika, i te raina mārō; mā te horopaki o waho e tuku ana i te pūrākau — hei tauira, he diary o tētahi tangata, he pouaka reta i kitea, he tuhinga uiui, he wāhanga podcast, mēnā rānei he tangata kōrero e kōrero ana ki tētahi atu. Ko te āronga o tēnei horopaki o waho e whakahaere ana i te mōhiohio e whakaaturia ana, ki te wā e whakaaturia ana, me te pēhea o te reo e mārama ana ki te pono. I roto i te romance, ka taea ngā taputapu whakairo te whakakaha i te tata o te kare-ā-roto (private journal), te waihanga kīarero (dramatic irony) (he narrator kore e pono), ki te whakamārama i te whakaaturanga auaha (tētahi pūrākau kua kākahu ki ngā karere tuhinga, ki tētahi pāpāho pāpori mōkihi).
Usage example
I roto i tētahi pūrākau Endless Romance, ka taea te whakaarohia te aroha e whakakāhia ana ki tētahi rārangi reta e kitea ana e te wahine i te kāmuri o te kuia; ia kōwhiringa ka whakatuwhera tētahi reta kē, ā, ka whakaatu he mahara hou, he huna hou e whakarerekē ana te āhua o te whanaungatanga. Akene, ka taea te kōrero mō te aroha ki te pūrākau podcast: ia wāhanga (kōwhiringa) e huri ana te tirohanga ki waenga i ngā kai korero rua, ā, ka tangata koe ki te mea waihanga i te tangata e kōrero ana i te wā e whai wheako ana koe ki te tangata e tangata i te wā i muri mai.
Practical application
Nā te mea he mea nui ngā framing devices, ka hangaia e tēnei mōhiotanga te kare-ā-roto, whakahaere i te tere o te waihanga me ngā whakaaturanga, ā, ka mārama ake te mana o ngā mekā kōrero (pērā i ngā kōwhiringa peka). Mō te romance interactive, ka whakapiki te hanganga kaha ki te tuku tūhononga mō ngā kaitākaro ki te kohikohi tohu, ki te toru mahara, ki te toro ki ngā tirohanga maha — e piki ana te here ki te tangata ki te mārama o te tākaro. E whakarato hoki tēnei i ngā here a-kaihohonga ā-tāiao e mea ai te pūrākau kia mārama ake ki te tāpiri pērā i te #booktok (ko te panui i tētahi reta pouri, me te whakaatu i tētahi clip podcast he mea tino mōhio ātaata).
FAQ
How is a framing device different from point of view (POV)?
POV is the vantage point from which events are seen (first person, third person, etc.); a framing device is the outer structure that presents the story (diary, interview, found footage). A frame can contain one or multiple POVs.
Can framing devices be unreliable?
Yes. A frame can deliberately filter or distort information — for example, a narrator who omits details in their memoir or a found letter that’s been edited. That unreliability can create mystery, emotional tension, or surprising twists.
What are common framing devices used in romance fiction?
Popular frames include epistolary formats (letters, emails, text threads), diaries and journals, interviews or oral histories, “book within a book” setups, found objects (photographs, recordings), and serialized formats like podcast episodes or blog posts.
How do I pick the right framing device for a story?
Match the frame to the emotional goal and mechanics: choose intimate frames (diary, voice memo) for close, confessional romances; choose multi-voice frames (interviews, alternating transcripts) for stories about misunderstanding or multiple perspectives; choose playful or modern frames (text logs, social feeds) to appeal to younger audiences or to justify branching choices.